In this true Western, I especially liked:
The title and the ending from Catullus 101 (that play on each other), the theme of loss of a loved one from death or abandonment, its effects on a family, its appearance from those close to it, children and adults, and from neighbors and strangers in a small town.
An image of death as sleep that occurs to three principal characters at a moment of crisis.
A brief suggestion of a literary image of Christ.
( )

Calvin Sidey abandoned his children after his wife died. He returned to being an itinerant cowboy and hermit, living the next decades in a shack well outside of town.

It’s now 1963, and when Calvin’s son, Bill, needs to take his wife to Missoula for an operation, Bill feels he has no other option but to ask his father to move in with his kids, Ann age 17 and Will age 11. It will only be for a few days; Ann is old enough to hold down the fort, but her full time summer job means her younger brother would be spending days alone and having someone there at night seems like a good idea.

Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned. Ann is desperately trying to get away from her creepy, stalker ex-boyfriend. Will’s friends don’t seem to be friends at all. Father Bill gave an eviction notice on the rough side of town right before he left with his wife. And the elderly widow next door has fallen lock stock and barrel for Calvin Smiley.

There seems to be nothing for Calvin to do, but take down his gun, walk into fistfights, and romance the widow. He’s taken on ‘the last cowboy’ role to clean up the town and save his family. But how does the stereotypical movie role fit into the changing world of the ‘60’s without becoming a danger to himself and the ones he’s trying to protect?

Although this was written in 2016, it was especially interesting to me in this era of militia members strapping on guns to return to taking matters into their own hands. ( )

Crudeness might be realistic, but I don't need to read it in my relaxation time.

Jumped out at page 36.

Enjoyed the setting, though - both the western landscape and the '60's era. And Calvin Sidey is an awesome ol' cranky dude. Total Clint Eastwood Gran Torino style. ( )

“… and they stand in this concrete room with a suitcase yawning open between them, a distance that might as well be as wide as a canyon.”

They are Calvin and Bill Sidey, father and son. I really liked Calvin - hard-scrabbled, taciturn and tough as nails. Maybe not a good father, but I'd want him by my side if/when things got tough!
The whole story is a good read, very enjoyable and well written! I felt like it started slowly and then really warmed up! As I type this, I find that I would like to read more about Calvin. But, "Calvin is as good as gone, escaping yet again from this house, this town, this world." Sad.

“… what an obstacle to learning hate can be.” ( )

'As Good As Gone' is the story of Calvin Sidey, a tough old man who, after the sudden death of his wife, left town after allegedly beating a man to death. He abandoned his children and shrouded himself in grief, solitude and the exhausting but mindless work of a cowboy. After decades alone, taking no responsibility for anyone but himself and no disrespect from anyone, Calvin is asked by his son to return to the town he left behind and look after the two grandchildren that he's never met, while their parents travel to the city so their mother can have surgery.

The strength of this book lies in its ability to make the people and place feel vividly real. It's set in a small town in Montana in the 1960s. It's a town Calvin used to be a prominent businessman in but where he's now remembered only for the story of his murderous violence and his grief for his dead wife. The town has changed but Calvin has not. He still lives by a code of sorting out problems personally and directly, with a tire iron or a knife or a gun if necessary and never backing down if his family is threatened. We watch as this code brings him into an escalating conflict with the people around him.

What I liked most about the book was how well-drawn the people were, not just Calvin Side but his son, his teenage granddaughter, his middle-school-aged grandson, his son and his widowed neighbour. We mostly see the world and its problems through the eyes of Calvin's family members and his neighbour. The tension in the book and most of the pain comes from understanding the threats to the happiness of these people and how they attempt to address them. We spend very little time in Calvin's head. He's a man we judge by his actions more than his words but when his words come, they are articulate and intelligent. I found myself rooting for Calvin even as I found myself saying, 'If he does that, it won't end well.

This isn't a dark book. The people have problems but they also know happiness and hope and even moments of love. I believed in these people and cared about them.

The ending of the book feels truthful. It's also a little disappointing. Life can be like that.

There is a strong plot to the book. Different storylines are choreographed to intersect in ways that increase the tension in the book but it's not a book that's about the plot. My overall impression is that it's a pearl necklace book where the plot holds together the pearls, intense scenes about people under pressure trying to do the right thing.

Larry Watson has written ten novels so far. I'll definitely be looking to read more of his work. ( )